Nectar in a Sieve is a novel by Kamala Markandaya about Rukmani and her marriage to Nathan, living in India during an explosion of urban development. Though they have a loving marriage, their prosperity begins to crumble after a tannery is built nearby. They sink into poverty, suffering from famines and floods, accepting some help from Dr. Kennington, an English doctor. After Nathan dies, Rukmani moves in with her son, a doctor at Kennington's hospital. Central to the novel's thematics is the coexistence of fear and hope.
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